


An Old Earth Tune

by LittleTayy



Series: The Good Things Verse [2]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Ayala's son's make a heavy appearance, Dareon Ayala, F/M, Gen, I made up their names, Jake Ayala, Prequel, The Ayala Boys, The Good Things Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:27:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25085407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleTayy/pseuds/LittleTayy
Summary: His eyes found his boys and he couldn't help the grin that split across his face at their eager and excited expressions. Turning his head a little, he found Kathryn nodding just as enthusiastically. With the decision made, he pushed himself up and went in search of the guitar he was sure he'd seen. He wondered if Dareon had seen it also, prompting the question around the fire.Either way, Harrison made his way inside the cabin - he didn’t want to disappoint the three people sitting around the fire with him.A prequel of sorts toAll The Good Things Are Not Yours.
Relationships: Ayala/Kathryn Janeway
Series: The Good Things Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816801
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	An Old Earth Tune

**Author's Note:**

> This story came about because I simply could not get the image/scene out of my head. It fit rather perfectly in the world I created for my previous fic 'All the Good Things Are Not Yours' - so it is set as sort of a prequel to that story. You don't necessarily have to read that one for this to make sense but, it's certainly help I think.

Kathryn had been nervous the first time she’d met Harrison’s sons but that had been months ago. Now they, Harrison, his sons and Kathryn, had all spent time together over the last few months - almost as if they were some sort of family. Of course, Kathryn wanted to be cautious. She knew children could be sensitive, sons or not, and they had only just gotten their father back; she hadn’t wanted to intrude too much on their family time. 

Besides that, she wasn’t sure just how serious she and Harrison were. It’d be a horrible disservice to the two young boys, letting them get attached to her, only for their relationship not to work out. But they’d been seeing each other for around 6 months now and frankly, Kathryn was starting to picture a future with Harrison and his sons. 

Dareon and Jake Ayala, as Kathryn had found out, were just as adventurous as their father, which was how Kathryn had been talked into hiking with the three Ayala boys. Not that she minded of course, she’d always had an appreciation for nature. In all honesty, she just hadn’t expected the invitation. She was, after all, no more than just their father’s  _ friend. _

But sitting around the warm campfire, with Harrison by her side and the boys across from them, Kathryn felt as if she was truly a part of their family. 

“Didn’t you used to play guitar Dad?” Dareon exclaimed suddenly, his dark eyes wide as he looked over at his father. 

Kathryn’s brows furrowed in curiosity as she turned to glance at the man beside her. Amusement settled on her features as she watched Harrison shake his head a little. This was the first she’d ever heard of him having some kind of musical talent, let alone knowing how to play an instrument. Suddenly, she was very curious to see if Harrison could indeed play guitar. 

“You remember that?” Harrison replied, surprised by the sudden question from his son. Dareon had only been six when Voyager had disappeared and it surprised Harrison that his son would even remember that. Between joining the Marquis and fighting for them, he hadn’t exactly spent a lot of time playing; certainly he didn’t think enough for his son to remember. He wondered, maybe, if Dana had told the boys about it. The thought was a nice one, that his now ex-wife had told their sons stories about him. 

“Yeah, sort of,” Dareon nodded. “Plus, mom had a video of you playing,” Dareon explained, nodding enthusiastically. 

“Can you still play?” Jake asked curiously. He was a little quieter then his older brother but just as raucous. Kathryn had never realised just how much  _ energy _ two young boys could have, especially when they hyped each other up. 

Her attention however, turned towards Harrison - her blue eyes bright with curiosity. “Yes,  _ can _ you still play?” She asked, her voice a teasing lilt. 

Harrison chuckled, shaking his head a little as he glanced between Kathryn and his sons. All three looked curious and eager and he found he didn't want to disappoint any of them.  _ Especially _ his boys. He wanted to create new memories with them; not just pieces of video captures their mother had shown them. 

“Might be a little rusty,” he told him with a slight chuckle. He glanced towards the cabin they had rented for the night. “I think I remember seeing a guitar in one of the rooms…” Harrison started, letting the suggestion hang in the air. 

His eyes found his boys and he couldn't help the grin that split across his face at their eager and excited expressions. Turning his head a little, he found Kathryn nodding just as enthusiastically. With the decision made, he pushed himself up and went in search of the guitar he was sure he'd seen. He wondered if Dareon had seen it also, prompting the question around the fire. 

Either way, Harrison made his way inside the cabin - he didn’t want to disappoint the three people sitting around the fire with him. 

Kathryn watched Harrison head into the cabin, smiling softly for a moment. She’d always enjoyed music and seeing people use their musical talents; this time was no different. Plus, she liked learning new things about Harrison. Her gaze drifted back across the fire towards Harrison’s two boys, they were communicating between themselves and Kathryn was just thankful that there wasn’t any awkwardness at being left alone with her. Still, she wanted to get to know them better. 

“Do either of you play any instruments?” She asked, voice tinged with curiosity. If Harrison had musical talent, she wondered if any of it had been passed down to his sons. She hoped so. 

Both boys looked up at her, smiling a little at the question. She’d found that they were both rather accepting of her being around; not something she had predicted if she were honest. She had worried, before first meeting them and then subsequent meetings, that they would hate her. She was glad to find that for now, they didn’t. However, the worry was still there and she didn’t want to ruin their good impression of her. 

Dareon shook his head, his shoulders lifting in a bored kind of shrug. But Jake grinned wide, nodding his head enthusiastically. 

“Yeah,” he burst, the excitement bubbling off of him. Kathryn thought he might just start bouncing in his chair. “I’m learning to play the drums. My teacher says I’m really good!” Jake exclaimed proudly. 

Kathryn smiled widely at him, mirroring his pride back to him. “Well, that’s just wonderful. I’d love to hear you play some time,” Kathryn told him genuinely. Glad to see that the boys were content to sit with her and talk; there was nothing awkward about their interactions. 

She could see that Jake intended to say more but his grin widened as his gaze became distracted. Turning a little, Kathryn found herself smirking as she caught sight of Harrison making his way back towards them - a guitar in hand. She found herself surprisingly excited to hear Harrison play - and wondered, though silently, if he could sing too - but she wouldn’t push it. 

“There was one, luckily!” Harrison said with a laugh, once he was close enough to the group. He held it up a little, as if it were a trophy, to show that he had indeed found the guitar. 

Kathryn chuckled, shifting a little on the camp chair, hands directed to the warmth of the fire as Harrison sat down. He sat so he was between them all, almost forming a semi circle, so that they could all see. 

“Play us something dad!” Jake encouraged, eager as ever to see his dad play. Kathryn wondered if Jake would be comparing his own musical talent with his father’s but she didn’t think so. If anything, she thought Jake might just be happy learning something about his father. 

“Alright, alright,” Harrison murmured, settling the guitar across his knee and putting it in position. His brows creased as he put his hands in an old, but somewhat familiar position. He strummed experimentally, grimacing a little sheepishly at the twang of the strings - eyes darting up to catch Kathryn’s, almost as if he were embarrassed. 

Kathryn simply smiled warmly in return.

“Come on dad,” Dareon drawled, voice clearly full of teasing. 

Harrison chuckled, shaking his head as he looked back at his sons then down at the guitar. He concentrated then, brows furrowed and lips pressing together as he started to strum the guitar strings once again. This time instead the tune came out as intended. 

It was slow and soft. It sounded familiar but Kathryn found that she couldn’t quite recognise it. By the looks on Dareon and Jake’s faces, they didn’t either. 

Harrison played the whole song through, focused on getting the right strings and chords, humming along to it as he went. Once he was done he smiled, far more relaxed with it in his hands then he had been at the start. Looking up, he smiled at the fascination and delight on the three faces glowing in the firelight. 

“Do you know any more?” Jake asked, leaning forward, looking as if he wanted to take the guitar for himself. Kathryn wouldn’t be surprised if he did at some point try to learn the instrument himself. 

“Sure,” Harrison nodded. “Don’t really remember the words to most though. Not a singer,” he told them, chuckling a little as he started to play a new tune. 

So the rest of the evening was spent around the fire, Harrison playing the guitar and to no surprise of Kathryn’s, teaching both sons some basics. Or what he remembered of the basics at least. It brought a warmth to her, that Kathryn thought she’d lost in those years in the Delta Quadrant - worming it’s way through her body and settling in her chest to burn brightly as she watched her lover teach his sons. 

She was happy. 

The boys had been sent off to bed ten minutes earlier; Kathryn and Harrison cuddled up together by the fire, the guitar put aside for now. Harrison’s gaze was on the stars and Kathryn’s was on him. 

“What was that first tune you played?” She asked curiously and quietly, breaking the comfortable silence between them. 

“Hm?” He hummed, turning his gaze from the stars towards her. He was grinning softly. 

“The first tune you played. What was it? I didn’t recognise it…” Kathryn told him, head tilting a little as she watched him. 

A wistful smile came over Harrison then. “Oh. I don’t know what it’s called,” he informed her, tightening his hold around her waist and pulling her closer to him. “My mother used to hum it, sing it to me as a kid. Kind of like a lullaby to get me to sleep. She said it was just an old Earth tune she’d heard,” Harrison told her softly, lifting a shoulder in a slight shrug. 

“Well, it’s a lovely old Earth tune. Did you sing it for the boys?” She asked, her eyes glancing towards the cabin where his sons were no doubt  _ not _ sleeping yet. 

“Hummed it. Can never quite remember the words,” Harrison admitted, smiling wistfully. His mind drifting back to when his boys were just infants - memories he cherished - glad he’d been there for both of their first few years. 

Kathryn simply smiled, leaning in to press a lovely kiss to his lips before pulling away, content to just sit with Harrison by a fire and under the stars. 

**Author's Note:**

> The tune Ayala plays is the guitar instrumental from 'You Are My Sunshine' by Johnny Cash.


End file.
